Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1887-12-09
CARLOADS OF MONEY.


Gold and silver in Uncle sans Treasury i,
IncomprehensibIe Quantities.
Few persons, perhaps, who read thu
frequently published reports of the ifs
cal operations of the Government Civ,
any consideration to the yastness ape
Significance Of these operations. 1t |:
only when the auriferous contents oi
the treasury vaults are weighed and
measured and placed by the side of art
icies and commodities that are daily
handled by the masses. that an intelli-
gent comprehension can be obtained by
the people Of the financial strength Of
the treasury and the great extent OF
the Governments fiscal operations.
/ find by reference to the latest pub
Iished statement of treasury assets aud
liabilities that among the assets was
$2S1 ,096, III in gold and nearly $780,
000.000 in silver, including 81, 900, 900
of trade dollars and fractional coins.
Taking up this 1921 200, 600 of gold and
placing it on scales | find that the gold
held by the Treasury weighed $40 tons,
and il packed into ordinary carts, one
ton to each cart, IL would make pro-
eession two miles long. allowing twenty
feet OF space for the movement of each
horse and cart.
The weighing of the silver produces
much more interesting results. Run
ming this over the scales. / find its
weight to be 1896 tons. Measuring it
in carts, as in the case of the gold, the
silver now held by the Treasury would
~ nd
carts to transport it, and would make
procession over twenty-ouc miles in
length. The surplus about which 80
much Is said in the daily newspapers
amounts To nearly $i7, 900, 900. CountcG
as gold. the surplus would weigh SCH
tons Counted M silvcri would weigh
1885 tons, Each million of gold adds
1855 pounds Ia the surplus. and each
million Of silver adds 5s, $50 pounds
Apply cubic measurement TO the
Treasury gold aud silver and piling the
two metals on Pennsylvania avenue as
eordwood Is piled before delivery to
the purchaser | find that the gold
would measure thirty-seven cords and
the silver 100 cords. and that both
would extend from the Treasury De-
partment to Four and a Half street. or
from the Treasury Ia the Pension Office
IN straight line, aud forming solid
wall eight feet high and four feet
broad.
Extending these calculations and
comparisons to the Understanding
debt, equally interesting results are
obtained The public debt reached the
highest point in August. 1868 twenty
two years ago. when 1t was ~. 3Si ,53O,-
295. The general reader will better
appreciate the vastnoss of this sum
when informed that it represents 20. loo
tons of silver, which would make u pro-
eession of carts that would extend
from Richmond. VA. Co u point twelve
miles north of Philadelphia. the dis
lance IL would thus cover being 266
miles. The Understanding debt Il
now (not including the Pacific railroad
bonds) si,o0l, 976. $50, showing that
the sum paid has been Sl.379. 553, 10,
or more than onc-half of the total
amount, and representing o,637 tons
of silver dollars. which would extend
i5i miles il packed in carts containing
one ton each.
Reducing the figures to "A basis where
they may be iutelligently compre-
hended, aud that the rtpidity with
which the Government has reduced its
bonded debt may be fully realized by
the general reader, | find that the re-
duction has been at the averaged rate
Of 500 FOG. $40 each year. S., 225, ISL
each month, $l7i, iS6 each day, 81, pos
each hour. and $120. Il for every minute
Of the entire twenty-five years. Pnr-
suing the calculation To the smallest
Invisible space Of time, the bonded
debt of the United States has been de-
creased at the rate of ~, o0,7 for every
second. or for every swing of the pen
dulnm. for the entire period from Au-
gust 81, 1865, To July 81. 1887. Cor.
Chicago NewS.